Family fights with property owner over mold and feces

Aaron and Leslie Kunkel is mortified about the unexpected condition of his rental home. When the family moved in two months ago they said the water and electricity wasn’t turned on. But as soon as those utilities were powered up he says a host of problems came pouring out.

“In certain spots, water oozes from the kitchen floor tile when you step on it,” Kunkel said.

In recent weeks he said the entire family has been sick and believe mold is to blame. They showed us paperwork from recent hospital visits.

“They want my red blood cells and my white blood cells checked because of the irregularities, they change with mold being around,” said Leslie Kunkel.

Kunkel said a home test kit proves there is mold growing in his vents.

“We’ve got two little guys and I just can’t have them in this predicament where they’re having to breathe in mold,” said Kunkel.

As they searched to find the source of the leak that caused possible mold, Aaron said he made a disturbing discovery in the attic; mounds of animal feces.

“It’s all over the ceiling in the attic about four to six inches in spots and then the roof has been leaking on it,” Kunkel said.

He snapped pictures to show exactly what’s piled up above his head.

To make matters worse, the couple says the property owner stopped communicating with them last week.

“I’ve been texting her she won’t text me back won’t call me anymore or anything,” said Aaron.

So he turned to NewsChannel 4 and we got in touch with the property owner and she agreed to talk to us. We shielded her identity because of the sensitive nature of her job.

We asked: “Just looking at some of the things I saw with my own eyes, the feces in the attic and the water and the mold, do you see how someone could have the perception that you are a slumlord?” She responded: I do, one hundred percent absolutely. But again, that goes back to a history that no one knows about but myself and the tenants.”

The family rented the same house from her a few years ago.

We asked: “What agreement did you all have with them to live in this house that obviously needs a lot of repairs?”

She responded: “He agreed to help fix up the house so he could live in it. He’s a contractor, so he says, so I trusted in that.”

Because of traveling out of state for work, the owner said before last week, she hadn’t seen the property for several months.

She said: “I knew about the feces on Sunday, I did not know about the water under the tile until last Wednesday when I went to inspect it I did not know about the black mold until Friday evening. The bottom line its a very unsafe place and I would have never rented to anybody at all.

Enid code enforcement said a letter was sent to the property owner and she has 60 days to fix those problems. But during our interview the property owner told us she’s already informed the family they need to move out so she can fix the problems. She offered a free month of rent to help with moving cost.

The family said, given the amount of money they put in to trying to fix the problems they’d like all of their money back.

3 comments

Joe Smitty

leslie kunkel

leslie kunkel

Life has its everyday strugles to take care of our children ans families. The last thing anyone expects is to be concerned about the roof you put over their head. As a family it puts a lot of pain and burden and heartache on ones shoulders. I hope that no other family has to strugle in the ways we have with our home.